BCS #186 is out today, with two returning BCS authors offering stories of discovering a new path.

Bruce McAllister pens “Holy Water, Holy Blood,” another tale of Emilio and the Child Pope Bonifacio evading the Drinkers of Blood, this one set earlier in their quest than “Madonna” in BCS #167.

Tamara Vardomskaya (“The Metamorphoses of Narcissus” in BCS #164 and podcast BCS 143) returns with “The Guardian’s Head,” a story of a sculptor superseding her mentor to build a stature to defend against a catastrophic flood.

The BCS Audio Fiction Podcast is BCS 162: Bloodless, by Cory Skerry’s tale from BCS #185 of a monster-hunter who may be monstrous herself.

The From the Archives story with BCS #186 is “After Compline, Silence Falls” by M. Bennardo, from BCS #107, a story of religious order clashing with the paranormal, not unlike the tone of “Holy Water, Holy Blood.”